Communication: The Elusive Challenge of Getting the Message

Have you ever wondered how it is that a group of your colleagues can attend the same meeting, be given the same information and each come away with vastly a different message? Part of the challenge is the filters through which we all take in data. Equally important is differing learning styles.

Filters

According to Warren Bennis1 three filters dominate how we take in information. These filters impact what information we take in and when we acknowledge or internalize the information.

The first is the social filter. This refers to the situation where we reject information because we do not have regard for its source. In some law firms I hear about “the inner circle”: the inner circle is respected by the leader and their opinions are valued. What happens to important information that comes to the leader from someone outside the inner circle?

by Karen MacKay, MBA, CHIC
President

Does it get
filtered, devalued and overlooked by the leader?
If indeed the social filter is a natural process the
challenge to leaders is to push themselves to be
more open to information no matter the source.

One of the many challenges of membership in a
law firm is followership. Followers equally
use social filters when considering the messages
being shared by leaders. If lawyers in the firm
do not respect the leader, they simply filter out
the message, refuse to change behaviour and
disregard the initiatives and ideas espoused by
the leadership.

The second is the contextual filter. This filter
causes someone in a position of influence or
power to “reject the significance of the
surroundings”. Consider the situation of a lateral
partner who is brought in to build or lead a
practice group. Consider that this lateral partner
has come from a very different firm and has
experienced a very different culture. Such
situations are destined to fail if the new leader
disrespects and disregards the new firm’s history
and culture. The lateral may have a vision that
just doesn’t fit and a style that is flatly rejected
by his or her new partners. The best of intensions may be lost by someone who lacks
sensitivity and who is not politically savvy
enough to execute her plans appropriately within
the context of the new firm.

The third filter is that of self knowledge.
According to Bennis,

"lack of self-knowledge is
the most common source of leadership failure.”

If this is the case in the corporate environment
where business leaders are groomed through
progressive management responsibilities, it can
be more important in professional service firms
where leaders are chosen not because of their
management capability but because of the
respect they have earned as a practitioner in their
chosen field. When pondering a leadership role,
whether group leader, client team leader or
managing partner, consider whether or not the
role fits your skills. If you struggle with the
administrative details of your own practice,
imagine the struggle you’ll have dealing with all
the details of managing a group. Successful
leaders communicate constantly with their
people.

To be effective, communication is often
inefficient and time consuming: for example,
answering e-mail queries with a phone call or a
personal visit. Further, to be effective, leaders
must be motivated by the effort and
accomplishment of the group, though they
probably got the job because of their own
individual effort and accomplishment. Will your
ego allow you to make that transition
effectively?

Learning Styles

Educators consider learning styles when
developing curriculum - how can you use
learning styles to increase the chances of getting
your message across to all members of your
firm. People typically fall into one of three
different learning styles: visual, auditory and
kinesthetic. That is people who learn by seeing,
people who learn by hearing and people who
learn by doing.

In order to capture the attention of all of the
people in your group, consider expressing the
message in ways that will meet the needs of each
learning style.

A clearly articulated message supported by
effective Power Point slides will capture the
auditory and the visual learners. Group meetings
where participation is encouraged and discussion
is fostered will capture the people that need to be
involved.

Conclusion

Every law firm I know cites the ability to
communicate effectively as the most desired
(particularly by associates) and the most
challenging (particularly to law firm leaders).
Leaders might improve communication by
considering all three learning styles and crafting messages that will be received effectively by all
members of the firm. We all filter the
information we receive.

What are your filters?
Are your filters getting in the way of the
communication that you crave?